If short hands are doing shorthand on your walls, don't discourage the budding writer/artist but merge that creative urge with the proper surface. Provide a wall-mounted chalk or white board, informing the child that he may write or draw all he wants as long as it's done there or on paper (make this clear — that's writing paper NOT wallpaper — kids can be technical). With continued writing practice, "cursive" will describe his fluid strokes rather than your language.

 

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"But what wall coverings and finishes are best, just in case?" you ask with a parent's cynical eye.

What to prescribe for your small scribe will depend on the use or abuse a room will receive. In the bath, kitchen and young Frockmorten's room, a medium-color (beige, grey or tan) semi-gloss enamel is the paint of preference with its mark-hiding washable surface.

Since the short artist is likely to limit his wall art to the bottom 3 ft. (your little Michelangelo isn't up to painting ceilings yet), consider installing polyurethane-sealed hardwood wainscoting from floor level to 3 ft. or so up, bordered by wood trim — or paste patterned vinyl wallcovering to a similar height. If desired go all the way to the ceiling (young artists grow) with sealed wood paneling or vinyl wallcover. Both surfaces are classy and cleanable.

"How can I clean the existing marks off walls without climbing them?" you ask, crushing a crayon in frustration. If your flat-latex painted walls have been under fire, write off cleaning them (pencil marks, however, can be erased). Keep a jar (empty baby food or relish) of matching paint and a small touch-up brush handy to cover that cave art.

Attack markings on semi-gloss paint or vinyl wallcovering with a rag, dish detergent solution (water & 5% detergent) and, if necessary, a bit of cleanser. First, point your finger (not at your child — he/she is hiding now anyway) and place a cotton rag over it. Dip the tip of your rag in the soapy solution and make a pin-point attack. If the detergent doesn't do it, try the cleanser. Touch up a dull spot on a painted surface with a dab of matching paint.

Sealed wood paneling under siege? Use the same approach, only dab on polyurethane sealer (or whatever finish was on the wood) to restore the spot's shine.

If a section of wallpaper is covered with Indus Valley script, try cutting a piece from that leftover roll you've been saving and paste it on to match the pattern. Get a grip on graffiti and no wall marks will be a hallmark of your home.